Keeping discomfortat bay with light

Psychiatry Clinic, Knight of St. John of Jerusalem Hospital,Oberhausen, Germany

Find out how light is making life easier for inpatients at the Psychiatry clinic in Oberhausen.

We have achievedour objective

of creating for our patients and therapists a pleasant atmosphere with that personal touch. The effect light has on people should not be underestimated, which is why I’m convinced that using lighting in the right way can have a beneficial therapeutic effect.“

- Manfred Rönfeldt Technical Director Psychiatrie Oberhausen

Customer challenge

The Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Clinic is a forward-thinking facility. Based at the Knight of St. John of Jerusalem Hospital in Oberhausen, it offers inpatient treatment for hundreds of patients. Wanting to create a caring atmosphere for patients, the clinic asked Philips for help.

The right lighting

Since its opening in 1978, the clinic has always been committed to patient care. When the department was able to extend its facilities by 160 additional rooms, it sought a new lighting system. It was hoped that pleasant illumination could banish any thoughts of scary, uninviting hospitals and help people see the clinical as a friendly, caring place.

Philips hospital lighting injected some innovation into the facility. The clinic directors opted for the ‘Personal Light’ concept, which allows staff and patients to adjust the room and corridor lighting to their requirements. This level of individual control is comforting to patients, and helps medical staff to do their job more easily.

The light is supplied primarily by Rotaris and Savio luminaires. Light colours of between 2700 Kelvin (warm white) and 6500 Kelvin(daylight white) can be selected. These values correspond to the natural light encountered outside, and these kinds of light enable the body’s melatonin and cortisol levels to be selectively adjusted, producing either a calming or an invigorating response. The intensity and color of the light can be adjusted separately with the touch of a button.

As a result of the new hospital lighting, the clinic has a reassuring, welcoming atmosphere that helps to keep patients at ease.